Health/safety reemerging as major issue for U.S. refinery workers

Refinery health and safety is again rearing up as a major issue for U.S. oil workers.

Much of the renewed emphasis stems from an accident last October that resulted in five deaths at Pennzoil Co.'s 15,700 b/d Rouseville, Pa., refinery (OGJ, Oct. 30, 1995, p. 24). At least seven other workers died last year in U.S. refinery accidents.

Adding fuel to the fire on health and safety issues are allegations that gasoline additives-in particular methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), the most widely used oxygenate in reformulated gasoline-poses health hazards to refinery workers and consumers alike.

In an effort to focus more attention on health and safety issues, the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers Union (OCAW) is seeking funding of about $6 million to set up a Chemical Safety and Accident Prevention Board (CAB) in Washington.

CAB details

Csapb would look into the causes of serious oil refining and chemical industry accidents.

Originally authorized as part of the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990, Csapb is modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, which examines accidents such as airplane crashes. The Clinton administration has recommended eliminating the panel's authorization.

The board has never been activated despite its creation in response to an increase in serious accidents in the chemical and refining sector in recent years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports 10,000 accidents involving extremely hazardous chemicals in all industries have occurred during the past 5 years, causing 135 deaths and 1,000 serious injuries. Most were in the chemical industry.

OCAW believes the board is necessary because EPA and the Office of Safety and Health Administration mainly monitor only for compliance with rules.

Yet, as is the case with plane crashes, many factors-including human error-can cause a fatal accident at a refinery. Improved worker training and safety programs could be part of the findings a panel would recommend, if allowed to study the problems, OCAW believes.

This may be desirable in light of new demands placed on refinery workers nationwide to manufacture RFG.

"Nothing on this scale has ever been attempted before," said an industry source, referring to the large number of new refinery units being brought on line in California, where the nation's most stringent RFG specifications are slated to come into play in March (OGJ, Dec. 11, 1995, p. 21).

MTBE concerns

On the MTBE front, detractors-including OCAW-maintain the oxygenate has the potential to cause flu-like respiratory ailments in the short term and possibly cancer in the long term.

They want greater oversight for an additive whose health effects have been tested and cleared often but whose use is growing and gaining more attention.

A number of federal and states studies have refuted most allegations against MTBE, but the track record is still taking shape and the new formulations combine many ingredients in new ways.

One chemist, who previously served as a health watchdog for a major refiner, said, "Years ago, I was telling the company we should not be placing aromatics in gasoline to boost performance because they were dangerous, but nobody would listen. Back then, statements like that could cost your job."

With job security paramount on OCAW'S contract bargaining list, in a time of massive layoffs and refinery shutdowns refinery workers may be less likely to voice their doubts about new combinations of additives being used in RFG, especially considering the uncertainty about some recent studies.

Only one study to date, by Italian cancer researcher Cesare Maltoni, found significant increases in lymphomas and leukemia in laboratory rats exposed to MTBE. However, the study was widely refuted because it exposed 1,900 rats to far higher levels of MTBE-roughly 1 million times higher-than humans experience while refueling or driving automobiles.

EPA says MTBE is less of a threat to human health than the chemicals in gasoline that new reformulations are sharply reducing.

In addition, while RFG triggered a rash of consumer complaints when introduced in Wisconsin and New Jersey last year, some of these complaints appeared to have been generated by mass hysteria triggered by a radio talk show host, an industry official said. The complaints about flu-like symptoms also happened to coincide with the peak of flu season.

"Air pollution is more serious to the human respiratory system than MTBE is," the official said.

California proving ground

California will be an important proving ground for a combined industry-state government effort to head off health complaints linked to MTBE in gasoline.

About 6 months before consumers were to begin pumping California spec RFG into their tanks, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released a fact kit about the health benefits of cleaner fuel. CARB spec RFG is expected to reduce air pollution by the equivalent of removing about 3.5 million of California's estimated 24 million vehicles from the state's roadways, the agency said.

Refineries in California are placing new units in operation ahead of CARB RFG rollout, set for Mar. 1. This provides an opportunity to assess whether manufacturing a severe reformulation of gasoline poses real threats to workers. It also could kick off a renewed push to monitor long term health and safety issues among petroleum industry workers.